That last point is included because many of the senior citizens in the study didn't only have pneumonia. Heart disease, chronic lung disease, and diabetes had all increased in elderly patients since the late 1980s, the study shows.

Being in better general health might help elders handle pneumonia, the researchers note.

Better pneumonia vaccines would also help, write Fry and colleagues. They state that the effectiveness of current vaccines "decreases with increasing age" and in patients with other illnesses.

About the Study

The researchers only studied people aged 65 and older. Their numbers came from a database of about 500 U.S. hospitals, not counting those in the Veterans Administration.

Pneumonia hospitalizations weren't up for the oldest old (people 85 and older). Instead, the increases were seen in two younger age groups: adults 65-74 and 75-84.

Data included people hospitalized because of pneumonia and those hospitalized for other reasons who also had pneumonia.

Second Opinion

An editorial in the same journal supports Fry's call for better pneumonia vaccines and concern about chronic health problems worsening pneumonia risk.

The editorial notes that several risk factors linked to pneumonia are known, such as history of heart failure, diabetes, or lung disease. However, they also point out that science hasn't shown that better management of these conditions -- such as more tightly controlling blood sugar -- would better protect against pneumonia.

Still, the editorialists make one clear, solid recommendation: If you smoke, quit.